The Causes and Effects of the US Constitution

1 Edward Zhao Cause and effect essay College Writing October 29th 2010 | The Causes and Effects of the US Constitution

1 The Causes and Effects of the US Constitution

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On September 17, 1787, 39 delegates signed their name on the nation’s Constitution after a 4-months long debate and drafting process. This Constitution, along with its following amendments, gives the frame of government for the United States, and plays a significant role in the country’s history. Hence, it is essential to identify the causes and effects as we look at the history of America.

In general the weakness of the Articles of Confederation is considered a major cause for the creation of the US Constitution. It did not provide a satisfactory frame of government that America needed in terms of economy, politics, as well as military affairs.

First of all, the economy suffered during the age of the Confederation. A common currency is vital for a nation ’s economy; however, America did not have it at that time. This created huge barriers of trades for interstate commerce. Moreover, the federal government could not levy taxes to support itself. Unreliable contributions from states were the only financial source of the Congress. As a result, there was no way to build a strong economy in the harsh environment. However, it changed after the Constitution was adopted. The actions that Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson took boosted the economy by creating the national bank and national currency. Such actions regulated the commerce nationwide and imposed taxes and tariffs which helped the developments of industry.

Second, the type of government that Articles of Confederation provided was too weak to unite the states. It seemed that at that time America was only a loose union of independent states instead of a country. The powers of the national Congress were mostly external, including: declaring and conducting wars, negotiating peace, and regulating foreign affairs. Furthermore,